During our junior year of college, my roommate, Tiffany, made a short film for her digital arts class as a first attempt at video editing. Knowing my penchant for acting foolish, she asked me to be in it. The film was titled, “…It Was Okay,” and chronicled two women’s very different days—one terrible and one … More The Secrets of Returning
I used to humor myself by judging the monotony of workplace elevator conversations—you know, the typical, “How’s it going?” met with a, “Well, the weekend was too short.” Then one day, I got on an elevator with a man who asked the question, “How’s it going?” and I pulled one of the expected responses from … More Metro: To Talk or Not to Talk?
Several months back, a friend and I were discussing the recent break-up of a colleague of ours. My friend had expressed to this colleague’s bromance partner that she thought his delivery of the break-up—via email—was an inappropriate way of communicating such a topic. In response to this sentiment, and in full support of his bro, … More Casualties of the Information Age: @girlfriend #itsover
My relationship with D.C. started as an arranged marriage. Coming out of college as a Planning, Public Policy and Management major with an urge to be a part of the work that changes social structures, my union with D.C. was predestined. We did not immediately fall in love. But, a little over a year ago, … More I’m in Love
No. We’re not all social workers. We’re not all extroverts, we don’t always feel safe, and we don’t always know what to do. However, I would wager that when most of us see someone in need, we want to help. I work on homelessness issues, and the numbers I see in my research are disheartening. … More The Man in Chinatown: What You Can Do to Help
Wearing comfortable boots and warm layers, I walked through the chilly night along Massachusetts Avenue towards Thomas Circle. Passing 16th Street, I gazed down rows of city buildings framing the illuminated White House and Washington Monument, icons of American history. I smiled at this quintessential Washington, D.C. moment where I clearly saw where I was … More The Faces Behind HUD’s PIT Count Data
Life is a composition of story arcs. This is one. I first met him one year and one month ago today. I use the term “met” lightly. One year and one month ago today, I was dragging my feet in self-pity up a metro escalator at Union Station. I was hanging my head in disdain … More To Say, I Love You
Sometimes, it seems, I can be a bit naïve. On my way to work this morning, my train was delayed. The trains going in both directions between my station and the two south of me were sharing the same track. I wasn’t standing at my platform very long before the timed metro announcement came over … More P.S. I didn’t write this to get you down.
When my uncle was in town a few weeks back, we met downtown for dinner and grand conversation. On the night walk back to the metro, in light of one of our discussions, he said something along the lines of — when it’s all over, all that’s really left are the stories we can tell. (I … More The Faces (and stories) of Our Nation’s Capital
I have a favorite coffee shop now. It is just my second time returning here, but I know that we belong together. It is one of those simple matches like peanut butter and jelly. Its walls are each a different bright color and are then layered with vibrant oil paintings from local artists. The menu … More Metro Face: The Beginning of a Case Study
ROUGH OUTLINES 